South Koreans grow younger overnight as the country changes how it counts people’s ages

By KIM TONG-HYUNG
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea has adopted a new law that changes how people count their ages. The country’s previous age-counting method made people a year or two older than they really are. A law that went into effect Wednesday formalizes the international age-counting method as standard in administrative and civil laws and encourages people to count their own ages accordingly. South Korea’s traditional age-counting custom considers every person 1 year old at birth and adds another year when the calendar hits Jan. 1, meaning a child born on Dec. 31 turns 2 the next day. But government officials acknowledged Thursday the new law won’t meaningfully change how public services are done, as most are already based on international ages.